The Legend of Zelda Hyrule's Finest (HD)
by Norrion
Summary: "A hero's job is relative. Through my years of service, all I've learned is that destiny and fate are a joke." "Then I guess you don't deserve that emblem on the back of your hand."
1. Drink with me

**A/N: Welcome to the story! For those returning, this chapter has changed a little bit due to what I have planned in the future.**

* * *

"You're clearly the best pick for the job on this police force," the white haired middle-aged woman argued to the man in front of her.

The man said nothing, taking another drink from his glass which was now half empty, or half full depending on how you look at it, "I haven't done well in the field this month. You know as well as I do."

"You haven't been back that long either," she argued back, taking a sip of her own drink.

"Why me?" He asked curiously as the noise of the bar echoed around them.

"Because your field performance doesn't matter, Link," she laughed. "We both know that and you're just being stubborn. You're the one I can rely on the most in the field. You're tactful, you plan ahead, and you're the bravest officer I have. I know the past few months have been rough, but the city needs Detective Faron back."

Link laughed, scratching the back of his neck, "I dunno Impa. There are plenty of cops who could do what I do. You just like me because I'm the only one who is stupid enough to waste my money on booze with you every Friday night," he shot back.

Impa laughed at his comment, before playfully punching him in the arm, her face then returning to its kind demeanor, "Just give it thirty days then. One month as a detective and if you're still not ready for it, you can return to being a street cop. I don't know why you would when detectives make so much more, but to each their own I suppose," she rambled to herself more than anyone.

Link sighed, taking a final swig of his drink as his face contorted a bit, "I hate this stuff," he whined. "How does your liver still function?"

Impa only laughed, "Oh believe me, I'm a picture of perfect health compared to you in High School," she mocked.

Link blushed for a moment, "You know about that?"

"Kid, I knew about that when I hired you," she laughed. Her face again calmed down as she spoke to him again, "So, what's your answer?"

Link sighed deeply, "I don't know if it's my own stupidity, or just the alcohol," he stated, "but I'll take the offer."

Impa smiled, "It's both," she replied, pouring more of the bitter liquid into his cup. "To Hyrule," Impa stated while holding up her own cup.

Link smirked, "I'll drink to that," he replied, clinking his cup to hers. "To Hyrule indeed," he mused to himself as he drank.

In the cold night outside on one of the nearby buildings a lone figure stood watching the two- mainly the man. His eyes were obscured by an orange mask, his hair an ash grey color. He looked to be just barely 20. He wore a shiny black windbreaker jacket that seemed to be made of leathery material, but the jacket itself was much lighter. The hems of the waist and sleeves were the same color orange as his mask. He wore black gloves, the fingers of which were cut off. In his ear he wore an earpiece and seemed to be looking through some technologically advanced binoculars.

Another older figure approached him. She was a woman of about average height and tan skin. She wore her fine blonde hair in a bun and smirked at the cloaked man. She wore a cream overcoat and nodded in the direction of the bar. "Still watching them, stalker?" The woman asked her acquaintance.

The man glanced over his shoulders, "He just accepted the job."

"Well that's good for him now isn't it?" She replied, leaning up against a vent. "I don't see why you need to watch his every move, Phoenix."

"This city is boring, T. The real charm comes from places like Telma's," he replied, pointing at the bar that his subjects were currently inhabiting.

The woman shook her head, "Right, because stalking cops is much more exciting than taking a night off and enjoying the town,"

"You know what I mean," Phoenix replied.

"So take a night off. It'll do you good to focus on something other than the operation at hand for a night. Go to Tingle's place. He's got a nice club for people around your age who like to illegally drink," she replied.

"Very funny," Phoenix replied. "And I suppose that'll leave my job to you?"

"Hell no," 'T' replied, shaking her head. "I'm not stepping into that mess of an entire group you have is a bad idea."

"Fine," Phoenix surrendered. "But if I miss something exciting because you are making me take a night off, I'm stealing your car."

"Nothing screams fun like grand theft auto," the tan woman joked, leaving her acquaintance on his own.

Phoenix sighed, getting up from his position and putting the binoculars away and scaling the fire escape to get back to the ground. He got on a motorcycle that was concealed in an alleyway and revved the engine. A monotone voice came over his stolen police scanner.

"Requesting multiple units to the Eastern Hylia Bank and Trust building. There has been a break in, multiple armed assailants seem to be in the area, over."

As new voices filled the scanners in affirmation, Phoenix smiled, "Well that should be fun," he stated as he smirked. He revved the engine again before blazing off into the night.

Back at the bar the two police officers had finished their bottle of alcohol and were exiting to go their separate ways, "Are you sure you don't want a ride? Ravio wouldn't mind at all," Link offered.

Impa laughed, "Kid, I'm a Sheikah. It's in my biology to handle alcohol. I can safely drive myself home. My body isn't inhibited by Hylian limitations," she boasted.

"Yeah, yeah," Link muttered. "Superior race, whatever. Never seen a Sheikah hold a piece of the Triforce in the history of Hyrule."

"That's because we don't believe in stupid myths that existed thousands of years ago," she shot back. "We are a race of brute warriors, we don't need a children's bedtime story."

Link chucked, shaking his head, "True enough," he replied. "No sense in believing in myths."

"I'll see you around, Detective Faron," she said as she got into her vehicle.

Link groaned as it was Impa's turn to laugh. She waved a simple goodbye and left the man on the curb to wait for his brother.

* * *

Far away from the bar called Telma's, an orange haired woman sat in a room filled with TV monitors that showed various halls of a very high tech security complex. She wore a bored expression as she continued to enter information into a computer system.

Two other women burst into the room. One with long green hair, and the other blue. They appeared to be twins.

"Faron has accepted the job, Din," the blue haired woman stated in a monotone.

"Well then, I owe Harkinian 20 rupees," the orange haired woman, Din, replied. "We can move ahead with the decoy then?"

"It appears so," the green haired woman said. "That should give him time to do his job."

Din sighed, "Or do the opposite," she mumbled.

The blue haired woman glared at Din, "The plan will work. I ran the numbers myself."

"And what if it doesn't, Nayru? What if it fails just like the last time we put a plan in place to stop him?! We cannot afford that kind of slip up again!" Din exclaimed, slamming her fist down onto the desk at which she sat. "People aren't quantifiable, Nayru. Their actions cannot be determined by a set number value. We need to be careful about who we place where."

Nayru, seemingly taken off of the pedestal she had placed herself on, nodded. "You are right," she said weakly.

"Farore, get the decoy ready," Din sighed in defeat.

The green haired woman rushed off to do so, leaving the other two behind.

"You have to listen to us this time," Din said calmly. "You can't do this all on your own."

"I know," Nayru responded. "Let us prepare the decoy for the operation."

Din nodded, following her sister out of the room.


	2. Not your Average Crime

**A/N: Chapter 2 has been in the oven for a while now and I thought it best to take it out so you could enjoy it while it is warm. i should point out now that fencing in this universe is not like what we have, but rather actual sword fighting to honor the hero of legend.**

* * *

"_It's over majesty," the smooth and menacing voice sounded._

_Link couldn't make out the face of the person talking to the woman with long chestnut hair: the woman he recognized as Queen Lanayru Hyrule. As much as he tried, he couldn't do anything to stop the events. He screamed at Lanayru to run, but it seemed she couldn't hear. _

"_I will not bow down to you, nor will I subject myself to your father. If I perish here for that, then so be it. But know, Dragmire, I will have retribution in one way or another."_

_Link watched as the slim figure ran his black blade through the queen's stomach. His heart began to pound in an erratic rhythm as the figure cackled maniacally. Pounding… pounding… pounding..._

* * *

Pounding. It was the first thing that Link both heard and felt the next morning after he was awoken from the nightmare. The first source of pounding was from his head, the second however-

"Link!" A somewhat shrill and high pitched voice sounded from the other side of his bedroom door. "Link let me in! Aryll is trying to do my hair again!"

Link sighed deeply, putting his head in his hands as he sat on the edge of his bed, "Just give the kid what she wants. It's too early for this."

"But Liiiiiiiiiiink," the voice whined. "What if the other kids see it!"

Link dragged his hand down his face slowly in annoyance, "Collin, it's not a big deal. Just get Ravio to deal with her."

Collin screamed in frustration at Link's refusal to open his door, and Link only laughed at his antics. Link decided to get up, stretching as he did and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Immediately he fell forward and set to work on his daily core exercises before getting up to shower. After finishing said task he threw on a pair of navy blue jeans with a jade colored shirt and walked out of his room across the carpeted floor until he arrived in the tiled kitchen.

He smelled bacon and eggs, but more specifically, he smelled his coffee and smiled. He went over to the pot and poured more than a healthy share of the steaming liquid into a mug before sitting at the kitchen table and drinking the caffeinated beverage with a small smile.

Link's smile vanished swiftly however as he heard his older brother screaming purposefully off-pitch lyrics from the kitchen, "Rav it's not even 8:30, can you not?" Link shouted.

"No," the voice called back from the kitchen. "You can't stop art, Link!"

"Oh, is that what they're calling art now?" Link retorted, now smirking as he sipped his coffee.

"You know, they say a dog shouldn't bite the hand that feeds it!" Ravio called back.

Link didn't have a retort for his brother's comment and instead pulled up the daily news broadcast up on his phone.

"_In a tragic turn of events, Queen Lanayru Hyrule passed away last night,_" the green haired reporter stated. "_Details of her passing are still vague, but we will bring you more on the event as the day goes on. We go live now to a broadcast from Princess Zelda Hyrule herself."_

Link almost choked while swallowing his coffee. He did so and started coughing while still trying to continue the broadcast. His head began to spin as he recalled the nightmare from earlier. His heart began to pound again.

He shook his head in an attempt to clear it and put it off from himself. He heard a shout from his brother in the kitchen.

"If you'd stop smoking we wouldn't have this problem!" Ravio shouted from the kitchen.

Link ignored his brother's rather stupid comment and turned up the volume up on his phone, watching intently. An elegant woman with long blonde hair stood on a stage behind a podium.

"_I would like to first thank you all for being here. Mother's death takes a heavy toll on the people of Hyrule, however that is not the reason I called you here,_" she stated calmly. "_Mother was not one to dwell on the past, even when my father died. She would not have this people dwell on her passing either. Mother would rather that we, as the citizens of Hyrule, honor her legacy and create a better world for the future."_

Link sighed deeply as the broadcast cut back to the green haired reporter, who started talking about funeral preparations. He got up from the table to refill his coffee cup and locked his phone.

"You're moodier than usual," Ravio stated as he turned to his brother. Link got a better look at the bright purple apron which starkly contrasted his clothes, and read 'Kiss the cook'.

"Just gonna be a long day," Link replied. He didn't want to ruin his brother's chipper attitude with such depressing news.

Ravio shrugged and went back to flipping pancakes as Link refilled the coffee mug. Ravio turned the stove burner off and distributed the food among five separate plates.

"Come and get it!" Ravio called out to the house as he set the plates on the table.

Collin ran into the room with a girl right on his heels. She was immediately scooped up by Ravio, who placed a kiss on the button of her nose.

"Are you causing trouble already, little miss?" Ravio asked his daughter as he placed her onto a chair. "It's not even nine o'clock yet!"

Aryll giggled and smiled cheekily at her father. "I wanted Cawwin to look pretty, daddy," she replied.

"Well he's certainly very pretty without the braids," Ravio replied.

Collin shot daggers at his eldest brother and sat down with a huff. Link took a seat next to his younger brother and ruffled his younger brother's hair, who in turn pouted and sank lower into his chair.

"Dear, please stop pestering the poor boy," a tall woman with long ebony hair and porcelain skin requested as she entered the room. She was fixing an earring and wore a purple and white sleeveless blouse with black leggings and a violet shawl.

"Morning Hilda," Link greeted his sister-in-law. He continued to sip his coffee as food was placed in front of him. He waited for all to be seated before he began to eat.

Ravio took a large bite out his toast and turned to Collin. "So what are you up to today, kiddo?" he asked with his mouth full of food.

"Manners please, Dear," Hilda stated as she picked up a piece of egg.

As Ravio ignored his wife, Collin turned towards his older brother, "I don't have much," he replied quietly. "I was hoping to try out for the fencing team I guess…"

Ravio raised an eyebrow, "The fencing team?" He repeated. "Good to hear. Maybe Link and I can teach you a thing or two."

Link looked at his younger brother and smiled, "We'd be happy to. What time are tryouts?" Link asked.

"2:00," Colin replied.

"What's fen-i-cing?" Asked Aryll innocently.

"Fen-cing," Hilda corrected. "Fencing is swordplay, dear." Aryll still looked confused and Hilda sighed with a smile. "It's what knights do with the evil kings in order to protect their princesses."

Aryll's tiny face lit up at the comparison, "Cawwin is gonna protect a princess?!" She cheered.

Link chuckled at his niece, "And that's why we can't braid his hair. The princess might not like it."

Aryll adopted a serious demeanor, "I won't let anyone touch his hair!" She exclaimed.

Link chuckled at the little girl and continued to eat his food in silence. He was content to be with what was left of his family.

All of a sudden, the young Hylian felt a buzzing in his pocket. He excused him from the table and entered his bedroom and answered the call, "Hello?"

"We found a body in front of the Time Corp. building," Impa's serious voice responded.

Link was slightly taken aback, "What did you say?"

"It looks like a homicide," came the matter of fact voice on the other end of the line. "The suspect, whomever they might be, left a long trail of evidence we'll need to sift through. That's what worries me."

Link sat down on his bed and ran a hand through his hair, "It's too convenient?" He asked.

"Exactly. I need a fresh set of eyes. Preferably the eyes of a Faron or two," Impa replied.

"Ravio and I will be there shortly," Link replied. "I'm gonna need a badge."

"I have your old one here; it'll be ready when you arrive."

"I'll see you soon," Link said as he ended the call. He threw on a light jacket and put his phone back in his pocket. He entered the kitchen and made direct eye contact with his elder brother, "Put a suit on. Something came up."

Ravio listened to Link's tone and decided that it wasn't the best time to be cracking jokes. He did as he was told and returned to the kitchen wearing a black suit with a deep purple tie. "We'll be home soon," he informed his wife.

The two brothers turned to leave but were stopped by a sudden outburst from Collin.

"What about fencing?" He asked frustratedly.

Link looked back towards his younger brother, "I will help you when I get back, I promise!"

The two brothers exited the home, which left Hilda, Collin, and Aryll.

"That's what you say every time…" Collin muttered under his breath as he watched his siblings leave.

Link and Ravio got into Link's Pegasus Fusion and sped off as the siren's let out its long whine.

* * *

Many officers would describe Impa Harkinian as a no nonsense cop with an unwavering sense of justice and right. She would describe herself as a morally grey person trying to do her best for those around her. Her record wasn't completely clean despite her constant efforts to make it seem like it was. She was a police chief who ran a fight operation with little room for error or excessive failure.

She analyzed the scene on which the dead body was found and considered the possible suspects. Her immediate guess was not one she liked for multiple reasons.

She heard the wails of a siren, which signified that a new unit had entered the scene. She turned to see the Faron brothers enter the scene. Link was allowed through without any need for clarification, but the officer in charge of crowd control looked back to the chief to confirm that Ravio needed to be there.

Impa nodded to the officer and Impa walked towards the two new arrivals. "Link, Mr. Faron, thank you for coming on such short notice."

Ravio nodded, "How can I be of service Chief?" He asked.

Impa sight and handed Ravio the folder that she had been holding, "The victim is one Ezlo Picori. It seems he was experimenting with a new sort of technology of his own design. The estimated time of death is somewhere between 12-3 AM last night. He was just getting off of work for the night," she stated.

"Do we have any suspects?" Link inquired.

"The only people that were close to Picori were his brother Melari, or his apprentice turned rival business man, Vaati Dragmire," Impa explained.

Ravio shook his head in though, "I don't think Dragmire would risk losing his pardon after all of his war crimes, but you could question both suspects."

Impa looked to her left and then her right before leading the two to a more closed off area of the crime scene, "There's also a third suspect, or a group of suspects that we've yet to hear anything else on."

Ravio's interest was piqued, "And what group of suspects would that happen to be?"

"I'm sure you're both familiar with our resident vigilantes," Impa replied.

Link raised an eyebrow at the statement, "I thought that the vigilantes didn't leave bodies behind."

Impa nodded, "Normally they don't, which is what has me worried. Whoever did this did a good job in recreating one of their crime scenes, and without solid evidence that it wasn't them, this trail will lead right to a vigilante group that has done nothing but try to help this city," she stated simply.

"So if we don't find a suspect," Link continued, "we have to hunt a fairy tale and never solve this case."

Impa nodded, "Which is why I'm hoping you can question Mr. Dragmire and see if he can give us any possible leads," she told Link. "Mr. Faron, I'd also appreciate if you could find out any information from Melari Picori and get back to us."

Ravio nodded, "I'll go and get started on that."

Ravio left the two officers and entered the doors of his company. He found his private elevator and took it down to the lab.

Link sighed, "I'll go see what Vaati knows, but I highly doubt that there is much. He spent enough time trying to clear his name. I doubt he would follow his father's path like that after all he has done for Hyrule," he stated.

Impa simply nodded, "It is better to be on the safe side nonetheless."

Link nodded and began to head towards his vehicle when he was again stopped by the chief's voice.

"You'll need this," she exclaimed before she tossed a police badge at him.

Without a thought, Link raised his arm and caught the badge in his left hand. He looked at it and then back to the chief, "Thanks," he replied. He then made his way to his vehicle and drove off.

"It's the least I can do, hero," she said to herself.

* * *

"We should expect to turn a profit as soon as our merchandise hits the shelves," the pale purple haired man stated. He had crimson eyes and wore a violet suit.

"And the kinstone app?" A board member asked.

The man in front smiled, "Kinstone will no doubt be turning a more than generous profit for Minish Industries," he affirmed. "As soon as the new Gossip Stone product is released, we will be building revenue to rival that of the Time Corporation."

A small applause emitted from the board members. A blue haired woman came into the room and whispered something into the man's ear.

"Thank you Lana. Please ask him to take a seat in my office," the man replied. He turned to address his board, "I believe that will conclude today's meeting."

The various members of the board began to leave the room. The man followed the business clad individuals out into the reception area and broke off from the group. He turned down the hallway and made his way to the mahogany double doors of his office. He pushed one open and greeted by a view of the city and one Detective Faron.

"Detective Faron!" He exclaimed. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Hello Vaati," Link greeted. "I wish I came on better terms."

Vaati's demeanor turned sour, "This is about Ezlo, is it not?" He asked disappointedly.

Link nodded, "I'm sorry for your loss. I can only imagine what he meant to you."

Vaati walked over to a cabinet and opened it, revealing a shelve of glasses. He took one off and looked back at the young detective, "Would you like anything to drink, Link?"

Link shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I should be drinking this early," he stated.

Vaati nodded and picked up a crystal container of alcohol. He poured a generous amount into his glass and took a sip. He walked over to his desk and took a seat. Link followed suit in a chair on the other side of the desk.

"He only ever wanted to help people, you know," Vaati said. "He prided himself on using his technology for the betterment of society. That is after the war anyway."

"Do you know anything about his current project?" Link asked.

Vaati sighed, "As a matter of fact I do. He called me a few nights ago. He kept saying that the Dragmire syndicate was onto him, but he refused to call the police."

"Any reason why?"

"The technology he was working on was experimental and not for the public eye. He wouldn't even tell me what it was," Vaati stated. He chuckled a bit, "Ezlo didn't like his secrets being loosed."

Link pondered for a moment, "So you think that the Dragmire syndicate is behind the attack on his life? Did anything else happen that would point the crime to them?"

"The Dragmire syndicate and it's master are a cunning, venomous, and parasitic plague on the people of the world. They leave scenes clean and kept with a long trail of evidence leading away from them.

"But they always leave one specific calling card that points right back to them," Vaati went on. "A detail so minute that it would seem completely adenine to go looking for."

Link looked at the pale man curiously, "What might that be?"

"A small biochip within the left hand in the shape of an upside down triforce. I still don't know why. My father wouldn't ever tell me."

"How small is it?" Link asked.

Vaati thought for a moment. He set his glass down and went to his desk and began searching through the drawers. He eventually found one of the biochips and tossed it to Link who caught it with one hand.

Link examined chip methodically, "Doesn't make much sense…" Link trailed off.

Vaati looked out the window distractedly with a spiteful eye, "Knowing him, there is some perverted reason to it. Ganon wasn't one for pointless theatrics despite his eccentric tastes."

Link closed his eyes and tried to piece together any sort of motive for Ganon's reasoning. Eventually he sighed and stood from his chair. "I should be heading out. Hopefully Ravio found something within the lab. Thank you for your help, Vaati."

Vaati smiled at the young detective, "Of course, my friend. I had hoped it would be under better circumstances that we crossed paths again, but it was good to see you nonetheless." He offered a hand out for Link to shake.

Link smirked and pulled him into a short one handed hug, "Me too buddy, but I promise to come and visit at some point. Especially if you get me hooked up with a new phone!"

Vaati chuckled, "Of course you'd say that. Always trying to steal everything I create."

Link laughed, "See you, Vaati!"

"Take care Link," Vaati replied kindly. As soon as Link left the office Vaati took a seat at his desk and picked up the phone. He dialed a number and reclined in his seat. The phone rang three times before he heard the other voice on the line.

"Hello?" A woman's voice on the other end answered.

"Call an emergency meeting," Vaati replied. " If we can't prove it was Ganondorf, the crime will be pinned on us."

The voice on the other end of the line sighed deeply, "Vaati, it's probably nothing. All of Hyrule isn't gonna turn on us because Dragmire killed a scientist."

Vaati's eyebrows narrowed and his voice became cold, "Call in the meeting Rutala. I'm not asking." Without another word he hung up the phone and went to stand by the window. He looked over the bright and sunny castle town with a clear view of Hyrule Castle. So much had changed in the countless millennia he had been sealed away.

* * *

Link sighed as he and Ravio pulled up to the house after getting done with detective work. It was now three in the afternoon and the two had returned home with little other leads. Link put his vehicle in park and shut off the engine.

"Home sweet home," he muttered tiredly. Link opened the door of his vehicle while his brother did the same. He locked the vehicle and started up the sidewalk to the front door. He tried the knob only to find the house locked.

"Do you have your keys?" Link asked.

Ravio shook his head, "No. I didn't think I would need them," Ravio admitted. "What happened to your spare?"

"I dropped it in the gutter when I was plastered last night," Link replied sheepishly.

Ravio laughed, "Still in high school are we?"

"If memory serves me right, and it does, I distinctly remember you throwing the parties to begin with. I just got in trouble because I couldn't hide my hangover," Link retorted.

"You couldn't hide your Zora girlfriend either."

Link blushed bright red, "That's not funny. It was one time. And it technically didn't even happen!"

Ravio laughed even harder at his flustered little brother, "That's only because Ruto didn't want her reputation ruined by some drunk Hylian kid. The fact that you were dating her sister probably didn't help either."

Link resigned himself to silence at his brother's words, and that was mostly because of the truth that resonated within them. He instead sighed and sat down on the front steps, "I guess we'll just have to wait for Hilda to get back with Aryll and Colin."

Link sat in silence for a moment before his eyes widened and he jumped up, "Shit!" he exclaimed. "We forgot about Colin!"

Ravio had a much calmer demeanor, "Well we shouldn't keep him waiting any longer than. I wouldn't worry too much though; Colin is a Faron. Fencing is in his genes."

"You'd better hope you're right," Link shot back as he unlocked his vehicle and opened the door. He started the engine and waited for Ravio to get in the vehicle. Link sped off as soon as his brother had buckled his seatbelt and tried to find any sort of shortcut to get to the highschool.

"Slow down!" Ravio laughed. "It's just high school fencing."

"I know!" Link replied with a frustrated sigh. He cut off another vehicle in order to get into the other lane and sped up. Link soon heard the sound of sirens behind him and sighed as his brother laughed hysterically in the passenger's seat. He turned on his signal and pulled to the side of the road.

* * *

Fencing, as Colin had figured out, was not, in fact, in his genes. He struggled as he was continually battered with his opponent's blade. He tried to land a few hits only for Talo, his opponent, to continue to hit him. He attempted a parry, but because of the lack of force in his blow, Colin's blade was knocked out of his hands and Talo's wooden blade came to his neck. Talo's foot connected to Colin's stomach and he went sprawling to the ground.

"Give up yet, loser?" Talo asked.

"Not a chance!" Colin replied angrily. His eyes burned with rage and tears. He stood up and gripped his sword harder before running at Talo in a blind rage.

Talo smirked and stuck his foot out as he sidestepped and Colin went sprawling.

"Dude, are you actually crying right now?" Talo mocked. "You're not gonna make the team. Give up." He kicked Colin in the side just to prove his point.

Link and Ravio sat down next to Hilda just as Colin was knocked back, "See, what did I tell you, Link? Colin is kicking that kid's ass," Ravio said smugly.

"Language," Hilda said sternly. "And that is Colin dear. He's been at this for over an hour against different opponents and he's taken loss after loss.

"Colin get up!" Link shouted. "Pick up that sword!"

Colin heard his brother's voice and his mind went hazy with rage. He grabbed his wooden blade and jumped to his feet. Talo was taken by surprise when his blade was knocked out of position. It was almost as if his opponent had become a new person. Talo brought his blade back up and attempted to strike back, but his blade was again knocked away. Talo brought his blade up again and began to back away in defense until he had reached the edge of the sparring ring.

Colin put everything he had into smacking against Talo's sword- he looked at it as if it were his brother's face, and he slammed his blade against it until he finally broke it and knocked Talo to the ground.

"I yield! I yield!" Talo cried out as he shielded his face from any further damage. The kids on the bench began laughing at both Talo and Colin. Colin threw the blade on the ground and stormed out of the gym.

Talo got up and started after him, "Get back here, freak! I'm not finished with you!"

Hilda quickly went after him and Ravio picked up Aryll to follow her. Link however approached the coach who beamed at him, "My best athlete came to visit! What a surprise."

Link in turn smiled, "It's good to see you Bo. How is the team looking this year?"

Bo crossed his arms and looked over to the sparring teenaged boys, "Well I wouldn't know about the girls, but I think with the right leadership, this could be one of the best teams I've ever had the privilege of coaching." He pointed to Talo, "Talo has an ego that needs to be knocked down a few pegs. Gulley is gonna to have to pull his weight as the team captain this year. That brother of yours has a spirit that I've only ever seen in Rusl. With the right training that kid will be as unstoppable as you were."

"Well that's good to hear," Link responded. "I at least know that Collin is in good hands."

Bo laughed and smacked Link's back, who in turn stumbled forwards. "I see that footwork still isn't perfect," he joked. "I could use an assistant coach if you're interested."

It was Link's turn to laugh, "Of course you do. Maybe I'll give it a shot once I'm settled in at work. I'm not making any promises though."

At that moment a fist fight broke out in between the team and Bo sighed, "We've got a lot of work to do. I'll see ya later kid. I reckon I should stop 'em."

Link laughed and waved to Bo. He turned on his heel and began to leave the gym. He walked through the double doors and into the parking lot. He was about to leave in his vehicle, but noticed Colin screaming at Ravio. He jogged over to see what the problem was.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Link interjected. "We're in public. Knock it off."

"So now you're gonna care about what I do?" Collin said sarcastically as he glared at Link. "Because I could've sworn you weren't gonna show up 10 minutes ago. As usual."

Ravio looked at the boy incredulously, "What do you mean 'as usual?' If it weren't for him, you would have had your ass kicked again!"

"Maybe I wouldn't have in the first place if my family actually supported me and followed through when they said they were gonna teach me!" Collin shot back.

"You know damn well why Link couldn't be there!"

"No I don't! Nobody ever tells me what's going on!"

Unbeknownst to the bickering siblings, an arrow hit the top of Hilda's vehicle and began to blink rapidly. Link's eyes widened and he pushed in between the two of them and instinctively brought up his left hand which began to glow with a golden aura. Ravio's eye's flew to the source of Link's panic and pulled the three remaining members of his family into a shielding embrace. The bomb arrow exploded and the vehicle went flying towards the golden shield that emanated from Link's left hand. As soon as it had, both Link and the vehicle were blown in opposite directions, leaving Ravio and the others safe.

Link hit the asphalt and clutched his arm in anguish. He rolled on the ground in agony as his clothes had been set ablaze by the blow. The last thing he heard before unconsciousness took him away was the shouts of panic that came from his siblings.


	3. Awaken

_**A/N: Here we go again. The anticipated Chapter 3. I hope the cheap cliffhanger grabbed you all enough to keep you interested in what I have planned. **_

**Review responses:**

**Oracle of Hylia: I'm glad you could find your way here. I plan to make these first few chapters a bit faster than the original. I will try to keep the pacing consistent though. To answer all of your questions though; let's just say that all of those situations are complicated. All will be answered soon though. **

**I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

"_Last chance old man," the masked man said. "You hand over your project, or you will lose your life."_

_Link once again felt himself in a nightmare-scape which he couldn't escape from. It was a dark night. Pale light showed on two figures who stood opposite of each other. On one side of him stood an old man that held a pistol to the other party's head. The other party wore a dark mask in the shape of a boar and fiery orange hair spilled from the back of his head. Link struggled to get in between the fight and protect the old man, but was powerless to do anything against the assailant. _

_The boar-faced man held a staff that looked like three serpents intertwining to hold a ruby ball in their mouths. _

"_I would sooner die than give you access to it," the old man spat._

_Link heard a loud shot ring out and time almost seemed to slow as the bullet sailed straight towards the boar-man's face. The ruby ball flashed and within an instant the bullet had changed directions towards the old man. _

"_Ezlo!" A new voice sounded. A whirlwind appeared in front of Ezlo, but the bullet trailed through it and embedded itself into the vital organ close to his left shoulder. A medical professional wasn't needed to assume the wound was fatal. A dark crimson liquid spilled onto the old man's white shirt. In the pale moonlight the blood looked black. Ezlo crumpled to the ground, but was caught by a figure that seemed to materialize out of shadowy wisps. _

_The figure wore a black hooded cloak, the hems of which were shaded a deep violet color. He cradled Ezlo's form in arms covered in black and hands covered in fingerless gloves, the back of which had a crimson eye with golden irises. _

_Red eyes pierced the night as they stared down at the shocked open eyes below. The cloaked figure's intense gaze shifted towards the boar-man. _

"_Haven't you taken enough from me already, Yuga?" He spat with a venom that Link had only heard from one other person. _

_The boar-man, Yuga, laughed. "Oh Vaati," he said smoothly. "When will you learn that father always wins in the end? Your betrayal wasn't forgotten, and soon you will beg for what you once had." _

_The figure that Link now recognized as Vaati barked a short and spiteful laugh. "When will I learn?" He repeated. "I have lived through the millenia, Yuga. I have seen the Demon King bested by the Blade of Evil's Bane. I have learned better than you or Bellum could ever hope to."_

"Open your eyes, Link," a soft voice echoed from within the nightmare scape.

"_Still living that delusional fantasy, I see. Well then O Immortal Wind God, show me what your millenia of farcical combat have taught you."_

_Vaati threw off his cloak to reveal a set of polished battle armor. The chestpiece resembled that of the vigilantes, but held a purple color scheme accented by gold and black. His forearms were covered in gauntlets that held the same patterns, but his biceps were bare. A red fabric with golden hems covered his waist and stopped at the back of his knees, but didn't cover the front of his calves, which instead showed a sturdy yet flexible material that was adorned with the same coloration as his chest and arms. He wore black knee high boots which also were similarly designed. On his head rested a thin golden crown that was adorned with a ruby gem. _

"Link. Wake up Link," the voice came again.

_Vaati unsheathed a golden hilted blade that gave off a pale glow in the gleaming moonlight._

"_You still carry your outdated relic then," Yuga taunted. "How quaint."_

"_I carry the blade forged by my people in order to stop my own tyranny. I carry the blade of a hero forgotten by the sands of time," Vaati retorted._

"_Then your blade reflects you," Yuga lauged. "A waste of power from a meaningless time." _

_Vaati said nothing and stood in a ready position. He stood and waited for Yuga to make the first mood; the latter of which laughed and pointed the ball of his staff at his opponent. It must have been an optical illusion, but it seemed to Link that there were two of Vaati._

_Link heard a faint voice that called his name as Vaati ran towards Yuga. The voice got louder with each step Vaati progressed towards Yuga until it was almost a shout. Link felt his head pounding again and the throbbing seemed it wouldn't stop until-_

* * *

"Link!"

Link's sapphire eyes fluttered open to that of a white hospital room. With blurry vision he looked to his left to find a blonde woman wearing what appeared to be costly apparel. He blinked a few times in order to clear his vision. When he had accomplished this, he found that he was face to face with the crown princess Hyrule.

His eyes widened and he moved to get into a position to bow, but was stopped when the flames of pain seared his body. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes again. When he opened them a moment later he found that the princess held up a hand for him to still his movements.

"Do not feel the need to address me due to my status. Your sacrifice for this land has certainly disputed any need for any sort of formalities in the face of royalty," the princess soothed. She wore a blue and white dress with long white gloves. Her hair mostly lay at her back, but she wore two long braids in the front. Her radiance was breathtaking. Link struggled to choke out some sort of intelligible speech, but was again stopped by Zelda.

"It is good to finally see you again, Captain Faron," She stated with a warm smile.

Link's face turned warm. It wasn't often he was addressed by his military title. "What brings you here of all places, princess?"

Zelda held her smile, "I came to ensure your safety. All of Hyrule would loathe to mourn your passing, myself included," she said. "And I am here to inform you that I will be covering your medical expenses of this trip."

Link opened his mouth to protest, but he was again stopped when Zelda raised her hand.

"You have refused every other form of compensation for your efforts in the war. I will not hear any more of your protests, Captain."

Link was appalled by the Princess's knowledge of his past actions. He huffed a defeated sigh and smirked to himself, "Am I to even get a word in?" He teased.

Zelda chuckled slightly at his joke, "It was good to see you again Link, but I am afraid I must leave you now."

Link gave her a concerned look, "Is everything alright, your majesty?" He inquired.

Zelda looked out the window that let in most of the light into the room. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes as grabbed one of her arms with the other. "I'm afraid mother's passing left quite a bit of chaos in its wake. The prime minister, Ghirahim Diamonds, is working to dispute my claim to the throne. He believes that because my brother Rhoam disappeared, and he was the rightful heir, that the Prime Minister's office should assume the role of leadership."

"Ghirahim Diamonds is an… eccentric man to say the least," Link commented. He grimaced slightly at the thought of the man ruling the country. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

Zelda smiled slightly at his words. "I agree, which is why I must leave you so soon," she said. She moved towards the door and put her hand on it before she turned back to him. "It was good seeing you again, Link.

Link smiled at her, "I agree. I hope you have a good day, majesty."

Zelda returned the gesture and left Link alone in the room to think on the two strange visions he had recently seen. Eventually he grew tired and wrote them off as nothing more than his imagination playing tricks on him.

* * *

It was late evening before Link's family had to come to visit him. Aryll was the first to enter the room with a bubbly laughter and jumped up onto Link's hospital bed to crush him in a hug.

Link grimaced in pain as his niece performed the action, but did his best not to show any sign of discomfort for the action. He tried to hug her back despite the large sling around his left arm to little success.

"See momma? I told you uncle Link would be alright!" Aryll exclaimed excitedly. "He's big and strong like Cawin will be someday!"

Hilda entered the room with a somber looking Colin in tow. She smiled at her daughter sternly, "What did we say about jumping on Link."

Aryll wore a guilty frown, "We said that it would not be very nice." The small girl immediately got down from the bed but stayed right at the bedside. She looked up at Link with big eyes, "Daddy said that you saved us from the car accident all by yourself!"

Link looked at his niece quizzically and then up to Hilda, "I did what?"

Colin spoke for the first time, "You got in between us and the explosion," he said spitefully. "You could've died."

Link looked out the window of his hospital room and thought on the matter. He had gone out of the school. He found Colin and Ravio fighting in the parking lot. Then he-

'_Oh goddesses,' _He thought. "Was anybody hurt?" His eyes were panicked and his heart sank at the thought of anybody else being in the same situation he was in. "Did the kids make it out safe?"

Hilda rolled her eyes, "They were fine, o hero," she teased. "The authorities weren't thrilled when they found out that it was your body on the ground, but the medical staff was more than willing to admit you in record time."

Link breathed out in relief. "That's good," he said. He turned to Colin with a smile on his face, "So did you make the team?"

Colin didn't answer his brother, and looked out the window to avoid Link's gaze.

"Bo seemed to think you had a lot of potential," Link remarked kindly. "I can help you tighten up your form once I'm out of here."

Colin looked at him with massive glare. He didn't say anything at first, but then finally opened his mouth to speak. "Will you stop pretending like everything is ok, Link?"

"Colin," Hilda said sternly. It sounded like a warning to Link.

Colin glared at her, "No, you don't get to defend him," Colin spat. "He does this all the time. It's all because he has to satisfy his need to be some sort of hero. The validation makes him feel good. He could have gone into any career, but he chooses law enforcement because of this stupid need of his to redeem himself after mom and dad died!"

"That's enough!" Hilda said coldly.

Aryll shrunk down close to Link and Link put his arm around her. Link looked at his brother; he was obviously annoyed. "You know what Colin? It's better than hating the world. They're gone, Colin, and hating everything isn't going to bring them back. At least I'm doing what they wanted me to do," he shot back with a level voice.

Colin laughed at the statement, "You don't really get to make that claim. Ravio hasn't slept in the three days you've been unconscious. So don't go parading around on your high horse while the rest of us feel like shit because you almost died saving us."

Link froze at the revelation. He didn't say anything because he didn't know what to say.

"Princess didn't tell you about that, did she?" Colin remarked, he felt a twisted sense of pride after the comment.

"How did you-" Link started, but he was cut off by Hilda.

"You are going to wait in the car until we are finished visiting Link," Hilda said with a voice only a mother could have. "Any disputes will remove you from the spot on the team which you hold so dear."

Collin scoffed and muttered something unintelligible as he walked out of the room. Hilda turnered to her brother-in-law and sighed. "I am sorry about that. He is going through a bit of the phase right now."

Link nodded, "Yeah I know. I went through one with Ravio a while back," Link responded. "Is it true what he said about Ravio?"

Sat down in a chair next to the bed and crossed one leg over the other. "You know how he gets when he worries. I wouldn't blame yourself. He does do it to himself after all. He is relentlessly stubborn despite anything I do."

"I think I should ask how extensive the damage is," Link said. He gestured to his arm in the sling.

Hilda nodded. "The doctors say that you were lucky to come out as unscathed as you did. Normally you would have come close to the brink of death, but you managed to escape with just a hairline fracture on your left radius."

Link thought for a moment, "Honestly, it feels a lot worse. My head is throbbing and I thought I had broken at least one of my ribs.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before a new thought that had been on Link's mind came to the forefront.

Link nodded. He looked around the room. "How did he know about the princess?"

Hilda allowed a small smile to creep onto her face, "My dear cousin has been visiting you ever since you got here. I think you've managed to capture the eye of the future queen," Hilda teased.

Link rolled his eyes and his cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. "Shut up."

"Momma! Uncle Link said a bad word!" Aryll tattled. She glared up at her uncle.

"I'm allowed to say it," Link teased. "I'm a grown up."

Aryll pouted and glared up at her uncle, "It's still a bad word."

Link laughed and ruffled Aryll's hair with his right hand.

* * *

*_SMASH*_

A burly man holding a baseball bat pulled his offending weapon away from the shattered store front of a jewelry store. A scrawny man behind him pulled a small pistol out of his pocket when the store's security system began to blare.

"Get as much as you can and get back to the van!" The scrawny man ordered.

Two other men, one armed with a machine gun and the other with a knife, passed the scrawny man with loot bags and began smashing cases to take the valuable gems that were locked inside. In the distance police sirens began to let out their wail.

The scrawny man laughed, "They won't get here in time to save it."

"Dragmire isn't paying you to stand around and gab," a man said from behind the scrawny man. He wore a bore mask. "Get to work Wizzro."

The scrawny man looked at the boar-man with an annoyed expression, "But of course, Master Yuga." The scrawny man began to scavenge with his cohorts for the desired gems.

"The deal has changed gentlemen," Yuga said. "You keep all of the other gems, but the ruby still goes to Dragmire."

The sentence had the desired effect. The men began to ravage the store much faster. If all went to plan, Yuga would have his gem and his cronies would be in handcuffs within five minutes. He pulled a timer out of his pocket and set it for five minutes. He placed it back in his pocket.

From the shadows of the room a figure dressed in a full black robe emerged from the shadows. He wore a grey belt which was clasped with a green rupee looking gem and a long black and blue striped scarf. He had a hood on his head, and underneath he wore a mask that could only appear as a rabbit's face. The teeth of the mask stopped at the man's mouth. In his hand he held a red gem that was uncased in a golden metal.

"Looking for this, Yuga?" He taunted. He placed the stone in his pocket. "I think I should at least get a cut of the profit."

The boar-man turned to the new figure, "Well if it isn't Hyrule's little shadow. You should hand the ruby over like a good little lap dog. It will be just like old times."

Shadow laughed, "Sorry, I already payed a lot to remove the tattoo. I'm not that eager to get it back either. Thanks for the offer though. I'll have to get going now." He began to toss it up in the air and then he caught it.

"Dragmire will double every rupee for whomever gets that gem from his cold, dead hands," Yuga said in a prideful tone. "I'd like to see what my favorite student learned under my tutelage."

The burly man was the first to charge at Shadow. Shadow simply jumped into the air and stepped onto the man's head to get over him. The burly man was sent sprawling to the ground. The man with the knife was next. He slashed at Shadow, who caught his arm and twisted it behind his back. Shadow proceeded to grab the knife from the man's hand and stab it into his good arm. The man crumbled as Shadow took it out and held it. The burly man got back on his feet and grabbed his baseball bat. He managed to slam it into Shadow's head, who went tumbling forward. With blurred vision, Shadow slashed at the burly man's legs and sent him onto the ground.

Shadow took cover before the other goon lit the store up with a round of bullets. He found himself pinned behind a shattered display case. He saw a mirror in the top corner of the ceiling and began to move around the case in the opposite direction of the man when he came closer. The man let loose another round of shots, which Shadow hid from with ease. He made his way to the sales desk and searched for anything he could use for a distraction. He picked up the stapler and then looked around in the dark for anything he could use it on. He found a storefront window that wasn't shattered and threw the stapler at it. The man was distracted by the falling glass and Shadow took the opportunity to throw the knife into the man's back.

The man let out another round of shots by accident. One of the bullets ricocheted off of a wall and grazed Shadow's shoulder. "Damn it!" He swore quietly as he grabbed the wound with his good hand.

Yuga continued to watch the scenario play out as Wizzro located Shadow and pointed the gun at Shadow's head. "End of the line, vigilante," he said proudly.

Shadow said nothing. He reached his bare hand out towards Wizzro and his hand became a group of small, black shards. The rest of his body also gained a black color as he turned into hundreds of tiny dark shards. In a flash the shards began to move forward and left tiny cuts on Wizzro as he passed by. Dark wisps began to spew from the open wounds as Shadow regained his original form. Wizzro went down and Shadow took shape behind his crumpled form. Wizzro began to convulse on the floor and had a broken look in his eyes. He felt cold.

"In interesting take on the shadow magic we taught you to be sure," Yuga commented. "But still nowhere near as powerful as the original seven sages." The timer in Yuga's pocket went off and he took it out to turn it off. "Ah well, it seems our time here is up, Ravio." Yuga's staff flashed and a red aura surrounded Shadow. The gem emerged from his pocket and went straight into Yuga's open hand. "Thank you for the first spiritual stone. It was difficult to locate. Oh, and give my regards to your poor brother. I'll make sure Kohga is punished for missing the poor boy."

Shadow was flung out into the street as the police vehicles entered the scene. For a moment he laid there in defeat, "Well shit," he muttered.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" One of the officers ordered as he exited the squad car. He had a pistol aimed at Shadow. "You are under arrest for the murder of Ezlo Piccori!"

Shadow did indeed put his hands next to his head, but began to disappear into black shards again which flew up into the night sky. He left only baffled officers and criminals in his wake.

* * *

On the floor of a bunker, Shadow began to materialize. A figure approached Shadow. He looked warily over with blurred vision after he tore off his mask.

"Looks like you've had quite the night, Rav." He said. It was Phoenix.

"Yeah, no shit Gulley," Ravio replied as he pulled off his hood. He grabbed his shoulder in pain. "Is the meeting over? I would gladly use some stitching."

"Vaati tried to keep it going and plan some sort of contingency for when the police began to investigate into us, but you can assume how well that went over," Gulley replied.

"If memory is anything to go off of, you fell asleep. Rutala, Vaati, and Saria fought the entire time, and Daphnes couldn't show up," Ravio replied with a face contorted in pain. He used his hand to pull off his scarf. "Meanwhile, Yuga kicks my ass and steals the Goron Ruby."

Gulley cocked an eyebrow, "And you didn't call for backup because..?" He asked.

Ravio ran a hand through his hair, "I didn't have the time or resources. If I hadn't engaged in the fight, I would have been fine," he admitted. He began to take off his robe and revealed a black breastplate on his torso with the royal insignia on the back of it. He wore black pants that hugged his legs. On his hip rested a pistol and a knife was strapped to his right thigh.

"You didn't even use your weapons, did you?" Gulley asked with a smirk on his face.

"They provided them for me," Ravio replied with a face full of pain. "Besides, I didn't need to kill them. Yuga will take care of that for me. He loves his sadistic mind games."

The thud of footsteps echoed on the concrete floor as a zora woman approached the two Hylians. She had pale salmon scales and carried herself with a serene elegance. As soon as she saw Ravio's arm she increased her pace until she had reached him. "What in the name of Nayru happened to you?" She asked worriedly.

"I thought that the bullet would slow down for me to move out of the way," Ravio said through gritted teeth.

"I don't believe your sarcasm is going to help you now," Rutala stated in a no-nonsense voice. She kneeled down and put her hand on his shoulder to inspect the wound

Ravio grimaced as he felt her cool fingers on his hot skin. "Just stitch me up, dammit."

Rutala set to work immediately after cleaning the wound to ensure no infection had entered Ravio's system. "Just like Ralis," she muttered to herself sadly. "Always coming back more bloodied than the day before." A small tear escaped her eye. She wiped it away quickly. A comforting hand moved to her shoulder.

"We're gonna find them," Gulley said softly. "They're gonna come home the heroes we all know they are."

Rutala looked at him kindly and shed another tear. "I know." She continued to patch up Ravio's shoulder. "You really should find a way to provide more protection to your sleeves," she stated.

Ravio yawned, "I should do a lot of things, like sleep, but we see how well that goes."

Gulley laughed. "So how close is Dragmire to finding the other two spiritual stones?"

Ravio shrugged, "I have absolutely no clue," he replied. "We should increase our patrol around the castle anyway though. I don't want Ghirahim just stumbling upon Nayru's Sapphire."

"And the third?" Gulley asked curiously.

"That secret stays with me." Ravio replied. "Less messy if Dragmire tries to find it."

"Fair enough. I'm headed out for patrol. Let me know if anything comes up," Gulley said.

"Don't you have class in the morning?" Ravio asked. "When do you have time to do your school work?"

"I have two free periods in the morning, I can sleep then. I'd be more worried about your own sleep schedule."

Ravio nodded. He sat for a moment before looking Gulley straight in the eye, "Make sure Link stays safe tonight. And get some rest!"

"You're one to talk!"

"I have trouble sleeping. That's why I go out all of the time," Ravio shot back.

Gulley chuckled and nodded, "I'll keep him safe. You have my word, Rav."

Ravio sighed in relief. "You stay safe too. Dragmire is on the prowl."

Gulley smiled and his hair went from blonde to an ashen grey. "I promise I will." His hands lit in a fire and he began to lift off the ground. He flew towards the end of the bunker where a large doorway opened and revealed a hidden road. As soon as Gulley had vanished from sight, the doors closed again.

Ravio let out a deep sigh, "That kid needs to get his- OW!" he exclaimed when Rutala threaded another stitch through his skin. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to save you from making a hypocritical remark," Rutala replied with a small smirk.


	4. Underneath the Surface

**A/N: This has been sitting on my drive for a little bit now and I knew I needed to post it. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged; I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope to have a more frequent update schedule soon!**

* * *

Phoenix perched himself on the side of a building that overlooked the scene of Shadow's fight. He had a pair of binoculars out and looked down at the officers and paramedics that rushed to help the injured criminals and search the crime scene respectively. His eyes wandered to the various points of impact. It looked like none of the criminals had been successful in the theft of any gems except the Goron Ruby.

The night was colder. Long past was the warmth of the Hylian summer. Autumn had crept up into Castle Town and gripped it with a chilled hand. The stars weren't visible from the city smog and the only light came from dimly lit street lamps.

"No sign of Yuga," He muttered to himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a street cop approaching Impa. "Now what are you doing?" Phoenix pulled a small earpiece out of his pocket and placed it in his right ear. The screen on his gauntlet lit up and he pressed a small red button to begin recording. He turned the sensor's input up and began to listen in on the conversation.

"... and we're not sure, but we think this either belongs to the suspect or the vigilante," the street cop said.

"What difference does it make? For all we know, they could be one and the same," Impa said as she looked right up at Phoenix. "Check for prints on the weapons and get me the results as soon as you can."

Phoenix shrunk back a be it. He knew Impa wouldn't give up his location, but he also knew not to mess with the investigation.

"We actually found an alarming number of fingerprints and blood on the weapons. Some of it might be from the vigilante. CSI is working on isolating the specific DNA sequences now," the officer finished.

"Well then. We should have the vigilante detained by the end of tomorrow. I want a full sweep of the area," Impa said with a smile. "Check every block within a two-mile radius. Call in the chopper. No one gets in or out of this area without being checked."

"Yes, ma'am."

Phoenix stood up and looked at the street in a panic. It would be a tight escape if he could escape at all. "Shit," he muttered. "I'll be fine as long as I don't alert them to my location." He took a step backward and slipped on a metal bar. He landed on his back and exhaled sharply when the air left his lungs as the metal bar plummeted onto the sidewalk below. "Shit." He sat up to find himself in the center of at least 5 flashlights. He looked down at Impa sheepishly while she smirked in return. "The Six Sages are out to lunch. Can I take a message?"

"Gentlemen, please escort our visitor down from the roof. I'd like to ask him some questions," Impa ordered.

Officers began to swarm the building. As soon as they had entered the building below him, Phoenix ran to the door that allowed rooftop access. He melted the handle from the door and used it to weld the door to its frame. He ran back to the edge of the building and looked down at Impa, "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have homework." His hands lit up in flames and he lifted off the ground. "Good luck on the manhunt though."

Impa held her smirk and returned to the squad car, "All units be advised, the vigilantes are out tonight. Catch one and I'll give you a paid day off."

A barrage of voices responded to the call and she heard the sirens go off across the city. Impa returned to her own vehicle and started the engine. "Guess I'll just have to show Ravio's group of knock offs why the original is always better."

* * *

Link was discharged from the hospital the next morning. He walked out into the cool morning and smiled when the warmth of the sun kissed his face. He was picked up by Ravio and promptly dropped off at the police station for work.

He walked up the pavement to the station and began to smooth over his hair. He rubbed his chin and sighed, "I need to shave," he muttered to himself tiredly. His plan was to simply get his paperwork and work from home for the next two days before the doctors let him return back to work. He entered the building and went to reception to be buzzed in. "Quiet in here today," he remarked to the gentleman working reception.

"You just wait. You'll see how quiet it really is in there," the man remarked.

Link chuckled and heard the familiar whirr of the automatic doors opening into the hallway of the station. Link walked down the hall and found that the main room was in chaos. He tried to flag somebody down, but it seemed that every person was too preoccupied to notice him. He finally found one of the dispatch workers and approached her desk. "What caused this?"

The green-haired woman in front of him sighed deeply. She looked to be in her mid 30's but was actually 55. Link recognized her as the mother of one of his childhood friends. She rubbed her temples in frustration, "I swear Link, I might leave if things don't quiet down." She replied. She realized that his question had not been answered, "One of the Six Sages broke into a jewelry store on Eldin street last night. He left a ton of evidence behind, but CSI can't figure out how to analyze the fingerprints or blood."

"What do you mean?" Link asked curiously.

The woman leaned over her desk towards him and her voice lowered, "Rumor has it that half of the prints on the weapons just disappeared last night. There were still prints matched to the criminals, but half of the evidence just wiped itself away."

Link furrowed his brow and thought deeply, "Did somebody wipe them?" Link asked.

The green-haired woman shook her head, "It's been in under lock and key all night. Nobody has entered the evidence room since it was put in there. The weirdest part about this entire thing is that CSI can't figure out the blood type."

Link's head spun. It was probably from the pain medication the doctors insisted he take. "Do they not have enough of it?"

The woman shrugged her shoulders, "From what I've heard, the blood cell structure matches that of a Twili, but the blood was Hylian."

"Maybe a biracial suspect?" Link suggested.

"Possible, but the blood would be more easily identifiable."

Link thought for a moment more. He finally sighed and smiled at his coworker. "Weird. Thanks for the information Farore. If you come across anything else just let me know." He requested with a smile.

Farore nodded and Link went his way. He put a flash drive into his desktop computer and began to download files for cases. He also had a large stack of folders sitting on his desk that was held together by a rubber band. He was about to leave when an officer rushed past him into the chief's office with what looked like a melted door handle. Link unplugged the flash drive and put it on top of the pile of folders. He didn't notice someone take the drive when he entered Impa's office.

The officer presented the handle to Impa as Link entered, "We found fingerprints on it. These ones didn't go missing either," the officer said as he was short of breath.

Impa looked at the officer incredulously, "It's a door handle. What would you expect to be on it?" She asked sarcastically. "Let me guess, there were a bunch of fingerprints too because it's a door handle?"

The officer breathed heavily, "Actually, that's the best part! The door had been installed the day before the robbery because the old one didn't function correctly!"

Impa's sarcastic demeanor melted into one of relief. Her reaction didn't last long, however, as Impa had regained her steely expression as swiftly as it had vanished, "Well stop standing here and wasting my time and match the prints to everybody who has had access to that door." She finally turned to Link, "You should be resting. This will be here when you get back."

Link rolled his eyes, "Impa, I'm fine. This seems like it's more important than me sitting on my ass at home."

"I don't care how well you think you are right now. I'm not about to risk your life so that you can play the hero."

Link sighed frustratedly, "I'm not trying to play hero, I am trying to do the job you asked me to! And I think I have more experience than anybody else on this force when it comes to the Dragmire syndicate!"

"You should be dead, Link!" Impa shot back. "It's a miracle you and your family survived that explosion. So when the Goddess protects you, don't test Her."

Link rolled his eyes, "The Goddess is a fairy tale. I got lucky."

Impa shot him a look, "I don't care. Go home now. That's an order, _detective._"

Link huffed dejectedly and returned to his desk where he found Farore, "What's her damage?"

Farore chuckled, "Oh that? She had half of the force chasing the fire vigilante last night. He was cornered from every angle, and then the wind guy just appeared and disappeared with his friend."

"How?" Link asked with a mouth hanging agape.

"Nobody really knows. They just vanished, but we can't let the media know because nobody would ever take this department seriously ever again. She's trying to deal with the stress of keeping the situation contained."

Link nodded and ran a hand through his messy hair. "We really should stop underestimating the vigilantes."

Farore nodded. "I'll say. Some of the stuff they pulled off last night was absolutely incredible. It almost makes you wonder if they have some sort of help."

"That would be interesting," Link replied. "Anyway, I've gotta get some of this stuff done. I'll catch you later."

Farore nodded, "You have a good day, Link."

Link smiled and waved goodbye before he walked out the doors again. Farore turned to the stack of papers she had taken from Link's desk and quietly walked over to the shredder. "Help comes from the most unexpected places."

Farore began to feed the papers into the shredder one by one until they were all but little scrap heaps. She turned off the shredder with one of the pages still sticking out halfway and discreetly returned to her desk. "Unexpected places indeed."

* * *

***SMACK***

"Again," Link drilled as he parried the wooden blade away.

Colin grimaced as he again tried to break Link's defense. His blade came bouncing off of his brother's and he sighed in frustration. "We've been at this for over an hour and I haven't gotten any better."

"You aren't going to pick it up in a day, Colin," Link replied. "It is going to take hours of meaningful practice."

Colin threw his blade down in anger and clenched his fists, "Well how were you so good when you started then?"

Link scoffed, "Just because I got lucky in the gene pool doesn't mean you get to complain. And you can ask Ravio how easily he could kick my ass."

Ravio, who leaned against the patio door frame smirked. "Oh, boy was that fun. Hours of beating your cocky ass into the mat."

"Language!" Hilda called from the table inside. She typed away on a laptop while Aryll played with her toys on the ground.

Link chuckled, "You'll get it soon enough, Colin. Pick up your blade and go again."

As Colin did what he was instructed, Ravio moved to the kitchen where the oven's timer had gone off. He took the oven mitts that hung on the wall beside him and pulled out the pan of lasagna. "Mr. Hero, Hero Jr., put away your toys and get to the table pronto!"

Link rolled his eyes at his childhood nickname and dropped his blade. "Let's go."

Collin followed Link into the dining room and sat down at the table.

Hilda closed her laptop and moved to put it on the couch. On her way back, she picked up Aryll and placed her in one of the seats while Ravio put the pan in the middle of the table and began to cut into it. He passed the plates around as soon as he was finished and sat down.

"So, how was everybody's day?" Ravio asked.

Collin rolled his eyes at the same question he was asked every night and shoved his mouth full of food.

"Some of my clients were a bit… extreme today," Hilda cut in. "The others in the clinic assured me it was just the season, but I think the situation around the city isn't helping any."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree," Link said. "Things aren't exactly improving quickly."

Ravio shoved a mouthful of lasagna into his mouth, "Well then, you two will be happy to know that the board has approved my humanitarian fund for city clean up."

Hilda rolled her eyes at her husband's obvious lack of table manners, "I'm sure they were all thrilled by yet another push of philanthropy in the workplace."

A bark of short laughter escaped from Link's lips. "Did they react to this idea better than the time you donated a fleet of patrol cars to the force?"

Ravio smiled slightly, "They thought this idea was almost equally as bad, but there were a few that liked the idea of increased publicity."

Colin gave an exasperated sigh as he played with his food. "I'm going to bed."

Hilda shot the boy a worried expression, "You should at least try to finish your food. Are you feeling ill?"

Colin shook his head and sighed irritably, "I really don't understand the need to make this family seem normal."

Link quietly set his fork down on the table. He breathed in through his nose and after what seemed like an eternity he sighed, "If you want to go so badly, go. Clearly, you don't care, so why should anybody else?"

Hilda looked between the two brothers exasperatedly, "Link you know that's hardly fair-"

"Link has a point, Hilda," Ravio interjected. "Colin obviously wants to make his own choices. Let him, I say."

Colin wasn't sure why, but his stomach sank, "Thanks… I guess." He got up from his seat awkwardly and left without another word.

The tension that followed could have been cut with a knife. Both Link and Ravio wore unreadable expressions while Hilda's was one of sadness.

"I have to get to the office," Ravio suddenly announced and got up from his chair.

"You're always off to the office," Hilda remarked. She wore a bitter smile and a single tear escaped her eye.

Ravio shook his head with a similar bitterness, "Guess that's what happens when your bastard of a best friend leaves you to clean up his mess." Ravio put his hand on the doorknob. "I'll be back later."

Ravio left the house and Hilda began to clear the table. Link sat for a while longer. He stared at the table and opened his mouth, not breaking his gaze, "Maybe I could take some time off to help with Colin and Aryll."

"I couldn't ask you to do that for me, Link. You've established a career for yourself, and the city can't afford to lose you," Hilda said from the sink at which she stood.

"I just wish that I could be around to do more for the family."

"This family fell apart a long time before you got your badge, and giving it up won't fix it."

"I'm really sorry Hilda."

"I am too."


	5. The Problem with Sleeping

"Regardless of intention, you were reckless, imbecilic, and uncoordinated!" Prince Daphnes' charged voice rang out from the conference table.

The Six Sages sat around a long conference table, and engraved in the fine oak of the table were symbols of the elements that the Sages represented. All were accounted for except the Sage of Light.

"We've been at this for over an hour," Gulley groaned. "Can't we move on?"

Ravio sat with his elbows on the table and his hands clasped in front of him. He wore an unreadable expression and listened as the other five argued amongst themselves. He looked over at the empty chair, as if for guidance. "Enough."

"He could have exposed the entire operation! Do you know how much trouble we would all be in if Gulley were captured last night?" Saria interjected. "Gulley is the only one of us who can claim to be any sort of low profile. He's still in high school!"

Ravio sighed, "I know, Saria. I'm not defending Gulley, but we have been at this for an hour, I'm tired, and my wife is still angry because we had to have this ridiculous meeting."

"What are you saying, Ravio?" Daphnes asked, said prince of Hyrule furrowed his brow and his lips were curled into a tight frown.

Ravio stood up. He picked up a small remote from a side table to turn on the television on the back wall. Seven faces appeared on the screen, including Saria's. "I think we've lost sight of the objective; we should get back to what these seven started."

"What are you getting at?" Vaati asked. His gaze locked on to one of the original sages specifically.

"These seven put their lives on the line every day to protect Hyrule from Dragmire," Ravio stated. "Sheik is dead, Impa hates us, Saria is our only surviving member, Fado, Ralis, and Darbus are all missing, and Rhoam made the ultimate sacrifice for his kingdom."

Saria stared at Ravio as if daring him to continue with his point.

Ravio looked between her and Daphnes, "They left us with their mission. Dragmire is close to returning and we need to focus all of our efforts on that. No more solving petty crimes. We need that Ruby back, Ghirahim and Yuga need to be put behind bars, and it's time to bring in a new member."

Silence hung over the room like a blanket until Saria broke out into a peal of bitter laughter. "For a second you had me going, Ravio."

"I'm being serious-" Ravio started. His knuckles were white as he clung to the wooden seat he had previously occupied.

Saria shook her head, the bitter smile etched onto her face. "I don't know if it's just because you think you have nothing left to lose after your parents, but you have no idea what kind of mental capacity is required to knowingly sacrifice a sibling."

Ravio waited for the woman to continue, his head was held downcast with dread and shame.

"I'm never going to get Fado back because he made the choice to die for this kingdom. Same for Rutala and Ralis," she shot the Zora woman an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry, but your son isn't coming back. None of them will. With that knowledge, the same knowledge that your parents and your best friend died in the fight against Dragmire, are you honestly telling me that you are willing to sacrifice Link like that? Because of some stupid notion that he's the fabled hero of legend?

"We're all just survivors of the tragedy," Saria said. She smiled sadly at him. "I'm sorry Ravio, but it's the truth. We all want what we had back and we thought we had the power to get that because of Ganon's sick experiments on us, but we can't. They're dead. We don't need to risk Link's life to prove something we already know."

Silence fell over the room again as Ravio struggled to think of a justification for his case. He looked around at each of the faces sitting at the table and sighed. He opened his mouth to concede defeat until he was interrupted by a smooth voice.

"Isn't that Link's call to make?" Vaati asked. "Who are we to decide what he can or can't be? Shouldn't that be the choice he makes for himself? Our job isn't to tell people how to live, Saria, regardless of our pain or loss. Our job is to ensure that people retain the freedom to choose that Ganon so desperately wants to take."

Ravio thought of what to say next but was stopped by the conflicted faces around the table. At any moment the entire team threatened to break apart and he struggled to keep it together. He gripped his chair and looked downcast. His fear had taken over and he refused to speak anymore.

"We may have started this little charade to get our loved ones back, but that can't discount the good we've done for Hyrule. People have hope again. They're starting to live their lives as they used to. If the sages are dead, then why should we give up. They wouldn't."

The blonde-haired high school student nodded, "Vaati is right. Look, I'm sorry I got caught, but maybe Ravio has a point. If we bring him in, we stand a better chance at catching Yuga. I mean Link is a cop."

"And therein lies the problem," Daphnes said bluntly. "Link is an officer of the law and a rigid one at that. I doubt if he knew of Ravio's little operation that he'd keep it to himself. He's Impa's favorite; what on the Goddesses' land would possess you to think he would willingly join our little group of misfits?"

Ravio opened his mouth to give a reason but closed it again when no words came. "I can't promise he would join us-"

Daphnes shook his head, "Of course you can't. We're losing swiftly Ravio; nothing can stop our demise. It is best we stop this foolish venture before any more innocent blood is shed."

"Wait, you want us to give up?" Gulley demanded.

Another pregnant pause settled over the room as Vaati stood up. He made a sort of clicking noise with his tongue and stared at Daphnes.

"Quit if you wish, Daphnes. Go ahead and cower behind your guards; wait for Ganondorf to take Castle Town and the rest of Hyrule with it. None of us will stop you," Vaati chided. "But when you do so, just remember that you could have stopped it."

Daphnes glared at the mage, knowing the truth of his words. He turned again to his leader, "Bring him in then, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Ravio stared at Sheik's picture on the screen intently. "If that's what needs to happen, then let's get started."

Link closed the book tiredly and set it on his niece's bookshelf. His eyes hung low after finally getting Aryll to sleep. He stood up from the chair that he previously sat on and turned out the lamp in the small girl's room. He smiled fondly at her sleeping form from the doorway before closing it softly. He shut his eyes to block out the tears that threatened to fall and slowly began to walk towards his room. He stopped outside of his younger brother's room briefly and considered entering, but ultimately decided against the action and instead walked to the medicine cabinet to grab a small white bottle. He poured one of the tiny pills into his hand and returned to the kitchen to get a cup of water. He swiftly downed the sleeping pill and returned to his room in exhaustion. He tore off his shirt and threw it on the floor before crashing into his bed and letting the demand for sleep overtake him.

"_Enough of this! You're going to spoil everything!" A snide voice came._

_Link stood opposite of a pale red-haired man holding a large scepter. Link himself was no more than a boy and held a sword pointed at the man._

"_You've forced my hand. I must brush you aside!" The man exclaimed before sending a wave of energy at Link. _

_Link felt his body burn as his entire being was ripped apart and put back together on the cold stone wall behind him, trapped as a painting before his vision went white and he stood in front of a large beast with nothing but a sword and shield. _

_As his heart threatened to hammer its way out of his chest, Link tried to concentrate on getting rid of the ringing in his ears. The adrenaline in his veins was almost too much to comprehend as he prepared to parry the blow of the beast. _

_The beast looked somewhat boar-like and roared as it shook its fiery red mane. Link noticed that the beast held two menacing and sickeningly sharp longswords that glared at him with their golden sheen. Link swung to parry the blade as it swung at him but ultimately felt the blade slice open his chest as he dropped to his knees and his blade went into the earth. He struggled to breathe as the world around him turned white again._

_The next thing he knew the tunic he wore had turned blue and bloodied. The scene had shifted again. His shield was gone and he panted heavily. Link's body screamed at him in pain to run, but something kept him glued to the fight he could tell that he was in. _

_Rain drenched his exhausted body and he could start to see his breath. He was so tired and wished he could just fall into the deep slumber that his body was begging for. He heard a small and distressed voice behind him and was suddenly reminded why he was fighting in the first place. _

"_Link, save yourself! Go!" The voice called to him in its panic. _

_Link refused to think of the suggestion, to do so would violate his entire protocol. _

'_What protocol?' A voice in his head echoed. 'This isn't your fight. This is simply a dream.' _

"_I'll be fine! Don't worry about me!" _

_Link was snapped back to his seeming reality and shook his head. He knew the voice was lying to offer some sort of ease to him, but he refused to leave. He gripped the blade in his hand tighter and with every muscle in his body protesting, he stood and stumbled slightly. His will, however, remained unyielding and he stood in front of the figure that the voice belonged to. He stared at the robotic beast in front of him, as if to challenge it. _

_A red laser locked onto his chest, but Link stood firm. His head throbbed and his muscles cried for rest, but Link stood undeterred. As the beast locked onto him, he was suddenly pushed to the side and fell to his knees. _

"_No!" The voice cried out before the battlefield was engulfed in a searing white light. _

"_Was… the power..?" The voice asked. _

_Link collapsed onto the muddy ground. The rain attacked his skin violently as he wheezed. _

"_No, no!" The voice cried. A girl appeared at his side- the source of the voice. "Link, get up!" _

_Link felt the girl cradle his head and coughed. He looked at her, wanting to say something but exhaustion overtook him and his vision went dark. _

_Link stood on an empty black plain that extended in every direction. In front of him was a glowing white figure. Link recognized the figure as Queen Lanayru Hyrule. He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand that signaled for his silence. _

"_Hero, remember. Hyrule needs you more than you know." _

"_Remember what?" Link shouted into the black abyss._

"_Remember, Link. For the sake of Hyrule, you must remember!" _

"_Please, don't be vague," Link exclaimed. "What do these dreams mean?"_

_Lanayru smiled at the boy. She disappeared into a bright white light and Link shielded his eyes from its brilliance. _

Link's eyes were assaulted by sunlight pouring into his room. He propped his tired body up and leaned back on the headboard for support. Link sighed and rubbed his temples to alleviate the headache his dream had given him.

Link looked to his nightstand and picked up the picture that laid facedown upon it. "Why do they keep calling me a hero?"

Link ran his fingers over the glass of the frame and stared at the photograph. Link and a young woman of about 20 years stood in an expansive field of green. Link had his arms around her shoulders and she held up a phone camera that had been used to take the pictures. She had her left hand on Link's head and an expensive ring adorned her ring finger. Both had bright smiles plastered on their faces. "Am I a hero, Malon?"

* * *

**A/N: It's a bit short this time, but I didn't want to write a chapter that dragged on forever with nothing happening. As always reviews keep me motivated, so please don't hesitate to leave one. I'll be back with more soon. **


End file.
